Fake tweet shows Akhilesh Yadav criticising Aparna Yadav for joining BJP

by Kinjal

Several claims have been circulating on social media against the backdrop of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. A tweet attributed to the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav is making the rounds online. The use of ‘daughter-in-law’ in the tweet suggests that it is a remark on Aparna Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s daughter-in-law who recently joined the BJP. It claims Akhilesh Yadav called himself ‘Ravan’ and Aparna Yadav ‘Vibhishan’ while criticising the BJP.

Twitter handle ‘@bghwa02’ posted the screengrab while mocking Akhilesh Yadav.

Several other users also shared the image.

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It is also widespread on Facebook.

Fact-check

This alleged tweet by Akhilesh Yadav contains several inconsistencies and grammatical errors that raised red flags.

Furthermore, the tweet is not available on Akhilesh Yadav’s Twitter profile. It is dated January 19. Yadav had made only one tweet on this date which has been embedded below. It is not the same as the viral tweet.

However, more importantly, the username in the viral tweet is ‘@akhileshyadav’, whereas Yadav’s real Twitter handle is @yadavakhilesh. The format of the date and time in the viral tweet is also incorrect. The time is in the 24-hour format thus, should not carry the ‘PM’. The ‘dot’ between the time and date is also missing. We have juxtaposed the fake tweet with an actual tweet made by Yadav to highlight these inconsistencies.

This confirms that the viral screenshot was not posted by Akhilesh Yadav. In fact, the SP leader congratulated Aparna Yadav when she joined the BJP. Had he posted such a tweet, it would have been widely reported in the media. Social media has been rife with false claims and misinformation ahead of UP elections.

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About the Author

Kinjal Parmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. However, her keen interest in journalism, drove her to pursue journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. At Alt News since 2019, she focuses on authentication of information which includes visual verification, media misreports, examining mis/disinformation across social media. She is the lead video producer at Alt News and manages social media accounts for the organization.